Note the 2 teams below advanced because the 2 champions are also winners of the performance rounds so the next 2 performance round winners who did not place are advanced to round of the team advancement to 13

Qualifier No.1 - The Molecules - PS 195

Qualifier No 2 - The 76ers - PS 76

Manhattan Qualifier

Champions Award

1st - Alien Pi - The Dalton School

2nd - Raging Tigers - The Trinity School

3rd - Food Fighters - NYC Lab Middle School

Robot Design

Mechanical Design - Chelsea Transformers - Chelsea Prep Academy

Programming - Chapin Bots 2 - The Chapin School

Strategy & Innovation - Robo Rodeo - The Dalton School

Core Values

Inspiration - Thunderbots - Metropolitan Montessori School

Teamwork - Hunters to be Hunted - Hunter College High SchoolGracious Professionalism - Angry Nerds - Hunter College High School

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

The Chinese New Year is January 23, 2012. It is the year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac.

However, at the LEGO(R) Group, it’s the year of the girls!

LEGO in its efforts to get more girls involved in LEGO building has come out with a new line of kits for girl interests. In addition to their “Belville,”(ages 5-10) and their “Pink Brick Boxes – Duplo and regular bricks,”(2-5); there is now “Creative Cakes (Duplo) and “Friends” (6-12). Of course, the girls can also build cars, castles, and spaceships (there are a few female minifigures in those kits too).

P.S. I've noticed more girls winning in the LEGO Club Magazine Cool Creations Building Challenge!

Girls are also building and programming the LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots. There is an increasing number of girl participation in the FIRST robotics competitions around the world. Girl Scout teams, all-girl school teams, and private all-girl teams are competing in the FIRST LEGO League (ages 8-14), FIRST Tech Competition (HS), and FIRST Robotics (HS).

In the NYC regional, here are few that will be competing (if you know the names of other ALL-Girl teams, please send it to brics2bots@gmail.com so they can be listed:

roboGbots – Brics~2~Bots Academy & RoboMindTech Center (my team)

The Young Womens’ Leadership School

The Chapin School

Urban Assembly Institute of Math & Science for Young Women

And of course, we should give a special thanks to a couple of the women LEGO Mindstorms NXT robot builders who paved the way:

STEM to STEAM

Not to long ago the U.S. educational system realized it was lagging in the areas of math, and science. So STEM - Science, Technology, Engineering, Math became the new focus in education in an attempt to improve the quality of these subjects, get students interested in these subjects so that we could inspire them to pursue careers in these areas. LEGO Technology and Mindstorms Robotics is a natural tool for teaching STEM.

Now there is a new movement emerging STEM + ART (and DESIGN) = STEAM. Well, you might be saying, “Oh no, not another buzz word.” However, if you think about, Art and Design can be found in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Art and Design can actually help improve on our innovations in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math in our quest to improve the quality of life and our future existence.

And of course, LEGO Technology, Mindstorms Robotics, and littleBits definitely fits in the STEAM objectives.

Learning Code

Inclusion!

Helping an urban community to learn technology!

This non-profit organization was created by one of my former middle school students & FIRST LEGO League team member of the Cyberbots.

Brics~2~Bots Curriculum

Why Brics~2~Bots?

It’s a challenge, it’s hands-on, it’s learning in action. John Dewey set forth the theory that we learn better by doing - we take the knowledge and apply it by building. With LeGology Technology, littleBits Electronics, & MINDSTORMS/TETRIX Robotics Engineering students learn by designing, building, & coding. The benefits of such a curriculum goes beyond the science concepts that can be learned, the math theories that can be explained, and literacy skills that are practiced through communication between students, reflective journals and design worksheets; students express their creativity & learn to problem solve together to reach a goal - creating and inventing “cool devices” capable of awesome tasks. LeGology Technology, littleBits Electronics, & Robotics Engineering (Brics~2~Bots) are great for a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts/Design, Math) program, because it touches on all these subjects.

To see some of the projects by students at Brics~2~Bots, type in "B2B Lab" in the Search This Blog in the sidebar.

Follow new posts by Email

About Me

I have been involved with LEGO® & robotics since 2002. I was the coach of NYC-FLL championship teams: Techno-Eagles, roboGbots, NYCityzens, Dragonbotz, Vulcabotz, Optibotz & The Cyberbots (FLL & FTC). Currently, I am a part-time robotics consultant who sets up LEGO Technology & robotics programs, conducts NXT & EV3 robotics workshops for schools & various organizations (AMNH). I am the Director/Instructor of Brics~2~Bots; a mini LEGO center that supports the S.T.E.A.M. initiative providing individual & small group instruction to children, gifted to special needs. Training & mentoring for new FLL coaches is also available. I am un-shamefully an AFOLAR - Adult Fan Of LEGO And Robotics! ;-)